6 Tips to bring your Ikea kitchen ideas to life

For anyone who wants to redo their kitchen, there's always the question of whether you should prioritize design or budget. Unsurprisingly, a complete US kitchen renovation can cost between $5,000 - $60,000.

What if you could have both style and quality at an affordable price? Thanks to Ikea, those small spaces in your kitchen can appear bigger and livelier, and open up the room!

But Ikea can do more than give the appearance of a bigger space. They have everything you’ll need to redesign the room—from kitchen cupboards to cabinet doors, stainless steel accessories, new appliances, and open shelving.

So, get your Pinterest board of Ikea kitchen ideas and Ikea kitchen inspiration, read these six tips and hacks, and watch your kitchen project become a reality!

Ikea Kitchen Hacks

1. Plan your kitchen’s different zones.

Dealing with an aging kitchen? Now’s your chance to create one that works for you and your family! As an essential part of your home, your new kitchen design should make navigating numerous drawers, cabinets, and appliances easier. This way, you (or anyone in your family) can always have fun baking together or creating holiday dishes.

Are you a multitasker who likes to cook many meals simultaneously? Or are you someone who wants to do everything in one pot? Your family may not enjoy cooking as much and prefer to keep ready-to-eat snacks in a large pantry instead. You should note these down when designing your kitchen’s layout.

Why is this important? You can work your kitchen design ideas around it!

Maybe you’ll invest in more pantries and have less countertop space, or if you know your family always makes a mess in the kitchen, you might not want to put up white cabinets and counters and settle for dark wood cabinets instead.

2. Have a budget ready.

Redoing a kitchen can get expensive if you’re not careful. Be honest about the total amount you can spend on putting up your Ikea kitchen renovation.

Cabinets, for example, are often the most expensive part of a remodel. Luckily, Ikea kitchen cabinets are reasonably priced without sacrificing style or quality! However, even if Ikea cabinets are affordable, they include installation and delivery fees.

The other parts of your budget include updating appliances, lighting renovations and installations, repainting, new tiles, swapping new furniture, etc.

3. When in doubt, keep the kitchen simple.

Got a small kitchen? Here’s an Ikea small kitchen idea! Keep the design and decor simple. Think handleless drawers, magnetic cabinets, and sleek countertops—it will make your kitchen look more open, elegant, and chic. 

Planning to add accessories like plants, storage boxes, and a spice rack? Go ahead! These simple touches will add a homey quality to your kitchen while keeping the Ikea look alive.

If you want your plant boxes, fruit baskets, and spice shakers to be in the same look as the rest of your kitchen, there are plenty of options available at Ikea!

Tip: Mix textures like rattan baskets with ceramic jars or checkered boards. Their contrast against the smooth shelves, counters, and drawers will make your kitchen uniquely you.

4. Ensure your kitchen measurements are exact.

Ikea’s ready-to-assemble furniture is only available in specific sizes. Have your kitchen measurements on hand to avoid wasting money and time at the store! From the size of cabinet space open to your dishwasher and oven, have their measurements in your Notes app or notebook so you have something to reference while going around Ikea.

It’s easier to get accurate measurements when your kitchen has already been torn apart, free of old cupboards, shelves, etc. This will let you see all the factors that could interfere with your assessment: outlets, door swings, lightbulbs, window openings, and more. If that’s impossible, triple-check your measurements before heading down to Ikea.

5. Repurpose a wardrobe into a pantry.

Ikea kitchen hack alert! Need help finding the right pantry size and design for your new kitchen? If you have a lot of snacks and ingredients to stow, check out Ikea’s wardrobes! With their larger sizes and more shelf space, it could be what you need to store everything neatly.

The best part is Ikea has a ton of wardrobe styles to choose from—hinged wardrobes, sloped ceiling wardrobes, open wardrobes, and more! There’s no doubt you’ll find the perfect one for the room.

6. Remember your kitchen’s lighting!

Old kitchens usually have one fluorescent light for the entire room; often too bright and can wash out the walls’ colors. You can modernize it by adding different LED lighting fixtures throughout the kitchen! You could add some on the walls, underneath your cabinets to illuminate your countertops when cooking, and on the ceiling. If you want to change it up, try adding LED candles. It’ll double as light and decor!

The best part is your kitchen will always look warm, well-lit, and energy efficient.

Don’t want to DIY your Ikea kitchen renovation? No problem!

If you followed all these hacks and have your kitchen design, budget, accessories, appliances, and decor ready but need a pro to help you, you’ve come to the right place! Hiring a Tasker is easy. Just choose someone experienced in Ikea assembly and check how much their Ikea furniture assembly costs!

Once you’ve picked a Tasker who fits your budget, they can give your kitchen additional storage, more open shelves, and a beautiful custom look.